1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor film and a method of manufacturing a photovoltaic element, and more particularly, it relates to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor film and a method of manufacturing a photovoltaic element each comprising a step of forming a semiconductor film by decomposing source gas with a catalytic wire.
2. Description of the Background Art
A method of manufacturing a semiconductor film comprising a step of forming a semiconductor film by decomposing source gas with a catalytic wire is known in general, as disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3453214, for example.
According to the aforementioned Japanese Patent No. 3453214, a gas mixture of gas (source gas) of a silicon compound such as silane (SiH4) and gas of another material such as hydrogen (H2) is introduced into a catalytic body (catalytic wire) supplied with power to be heated to at least the thermal decomposition temperature of the source gas, thereby decomposing the silicon compound and forming a silicon film (semiconductor film) on the surface of a substrate.
However, the aforementioned Japanese Patent No. 3453214 discloses neither the timing for starting supplying power to (starting heating) the catalytic body (catalytic wire) nor the timing for introducing the source gas in formation of the silicon film (semiconductor film). In general, heating of the catalytic body is started and the source gas is introduced at the same time. In this case, a constant time is required for stabilizing the pressure of an atmosphere formed by the source gas after the introduction of the source gas, and hence the semiconductor film is formed in a state where the pressure of the atmosphere formed by the source gas is not yet stabilized in the initial state. In this case, the quality of the semiconductor film formed in the state where the pressure of the atmosphere formed by the source gas is not yet stabilized is disadvantageously destabilized.